Artificial hand



eh, M, 1936. D, w. DOFRANCE fl fi ARTIFICIAL HAND Filed April 16, 1955 17.1217. pormnce/ INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 11, 1936 1 2,030,785

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTIFICIAL HAND David W. Dorrance, San Jose, Calif.

Application April 16, 1935, Serial No. 16,684

1 Claim. (01. 3-12) The invention relates to an artificial hand and one side to provide a pivot ear l3 for the mountmore particularly to improvements in the subject ing therewith ofthe pivot end M of a movable matter of an application for United States Letters finger I5 the latter for a major portion of its Patent filed on or about the twenty-seventh day length being relatively straight, yet both fingers of March, 1933, and serially numbered 663,037. H and H: are directed in a forward converging 5 The primary object of the invention is the prorelation to each other so that the outer portions vision of an artificial hand, wherein the elements thereof approach one another. The ear I 4 has thereof being so arranged and constructed as to fitted therewith a ball bearing equipped pivot l6 enable the handling of implements or articles in which is engaged in the head I so that the finger 1G a practical way as these would be handled by the l will be susceptible of free movement to swing natural hand and without liability of the dropping relative to the stationary finger l I.

of the same or the working out of position after The fingers H and I5 carry hook-like tips I! placement thereof. and I8, respectively, they being integral there- Another object of the invention is the prowith, the said tips being cut into at their inner vision of a hand of this character, wherein a cold sides to provide interfitting shoulders I9 for as- 15 chisel, punches or any kind of small tool required suring the firm gripping action by said tips in for use may be held tightly and manipulated as the use of the artificial hand. These tips I! well as the grasping and manipulation of a table and I8 are curved in a meshed relation to each knife, fork or other article. other and are disposed at an acute lateral angle Afurther object of the inventionisthe provision to the fingers II and IS with their free ends 20 of a hand of this character, which is simple in rounded at 20 and likewise the outer surfaces 2| construction, thoroughly reliable and eflicient in are suitably rounded and smooth of finish. its operation, being refinements over the subject Formed on the fingers II and I5 close to the matter of an application for United States Letters pivot l6 are external shoulders 22 for abutment 5 Patent filed on or about the twenty-seventh of therewith of an endless elastic band 23 the latter March, 1933, serially numbered 663,037, strong, encircling both fingers II and I5 and being reladurable and inexpensive to manufacture. tively wide. This band 23 constitutes a tension- With these and other objects in View, the invening medium for bringing the movable finger l5 tion consists in the features of construction, comtoward the stationary finger l I for the positive bination and arrangement of parts as will be closing or bringing together of these fingers and 30 hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in upon the opening thereof, or their separation, the accompanying drawing, which discloses the the band 23 will tension the same so that grippreferred embodiment of the invention and ping action thereby may be had. Projected from pointed out in the claim hereunto appended. the tips H and 18 at the merger thereof with the In the accompanying drawing: fingers II and I5 are outwardly extending pincer 33 Figure 1 is a side elevation of the hand conjaws 24, these being at substantially right angles structed in accordance with the invention. to the plane of the tips I! and I8 and being pro- Figure 2 is a plan view thereof showing by vided with fiat work engaging faces confronting dotted lines a table knife held by the hand. each other, each jaw 24 having next thereto a Figure 3 is an end elevation. notch 25 forming a seat for an implement or an 10 Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 artificers tool or a knife or the like. of Figure 2. The movable finger I5 is actuated and controlled Similar reference characters indicate correby a trigger 26 having an eye 21 for the attachspondin parts throughout the several views in ment thereto of a pull cord and this trigger is offthe drawing. set from the inner end of the finger l5 and pro- 45 Referring to the drawing in detail, the hand invides a shoulder as at 28' for the elastic band 23 cludes a coupling A adapted for detachable faswhile the finger II at the end 12 has an offset 29 tening with a stump member of a conventional which likewise forms an abutment for the said form. The coupling A carries as a part thereof band so as to prevent riding of the band in the a bearing I0 constituting what might be termed operation of the hand. The pull cord is not shown so a head which is formed with a stationary finger and is operated as usual from the shoulder porl l the major portion thereof being relatively tion of a person wearing the hand. straight while the adjoining inner end l2 of said The fingers l I and IS in close proximity to the finger is outwardly curved to offset the same from shoulders 22 have formed. therewith opposite conthe block or head [0, which latter is cut away at fronting forks 30 directed toward each other, 55

while the fingers II and 15 at the said shoulders 22 are provided with the squared companion notches or recesses 3| which afford. a seat for an article, as for example the handle 32 of a knife 33, the blade of the latter being clamped between the jaws 24 and latched by a hook 34 at its bill :35. This hook 34 extends laterally to one side of one jaw 24 at the innermost portions thereof. 7

The jaws 24, forks 30, recesses or notches 3| and the hook 34 constitute the improvements over the subject matter of the application for United States Letters Patent filed on or about the twenty-seventh day of March, 1933, serially numbered 663,037.

In the use of the hand, heavy loads may be carried thereby and various tools clamped and manipulated when engaged by the hand, as for What is claimed is:

In an artificial hand of the kind described,

relatively movable fingers, curved tips on said fingers and disposed at an acute angle thereto, shoulders formed on the inner faces of the tips and interfitted with each other, pincer jaws extended from the fingers at right angles thereto at the point of merger of said fingers and tips, a hook extending from one of the pincer jaws and lying in the plane thereof and projected at right angles thereto, a ball bearing equipped pivot connectiiig the fingers for swinging movement relative to each other, shoulders formed on the fingers close to the said pivot, tensioning means encircling the fingers and abutting the said shoulders, the fingers at the shoulders being provided with opposed confronting seating notches, and forks on said fingers in opposite relation to each other next to the shoulders.

DAVID W. DORRANCE. 

